Thanks for replying Corelly. I'm so pleased that you weren't made to go through what I went through. It's great that the baby slipped into place in good time.
I have also had two miscarriages since my first baby, probably due to the fibroid, just like you. Removing it doesn't seem to be an option without hysterectomy for me. I'm trying Chinese medicine and other things at the moment.
You have given me hope in saying that you were able to have a natural birth. I'm so happy for you, and hope I follow in your footsteps next time around (if there is a next time around).
I hope you don't mind me asking, what type of fibroids do you have? Are they embedded in the wall of the uterus? Your story has given me hope- thank you!
Maz, to remove fibroids they do a laproscopic myomectomy - I had mine around this time last year. They make 4 small incisions and use a camera and gas to pump up the tummy so they can see. I had 4, one was a size of a golf ball and another was impinging on my cervix I reckon this is the whole reason I couldnt get preggers the old fashion way!- my surgery took about 3 hrs and they burnt off some endometriosis too.
I have the pictures to prove it too!
Its not that difficult, but can be a bit painful. The only problem I found is that because they make so many incisions on the uterus they are not willing to risk you going to natural birth - you have to have a c-section.
The other problem is they grow back - and can cause problems conceiving and carrying to term. Basically my next op will be in another 2-3 years assuming I want to conceive again and dependent on the size.
I got pregnant 3 months post op via ivf - and now have a 3cm fibroid growing again. They also love the very "hormonal" environment of pregnancy and thrive. But I have been told they can shrink post baby.
Krikit - you're the first person that's spoken about having them removed so thanks for letting us know how it all happened. If I was sure that I wasn't going to have another baby, then I'd probably leave them alone, but we haven't ruled out another yet.
Lushkamarx - I was so pleased when I did have a natural birth with all the obstacles thrown at me - have a small pelvis too and they were expecting DD to be a big baby. I wanted to stand up and start singing "I am woman"! The fibroids I have are in the wall of my uterus, which was why my ob thought it was difficult for embryos to latch on. I had bleeding in the early days of DD's pregnancy, so I thought I was going to lose her too, but she was an exceptionally sticky baby!
Hi Ladies,
Glad I could locate this thread in the google.
I am 9 weeks pregnant and went for my u/s on 9th July, Baby measuring god, saw the cutest heartbeat and also got the news that I have fibroid developing / growing alongwith my pregnancy, at the moment its measuring 5mm and u/s technician said its not a worrysome situation but I google about fibroids and its giving me some scaring information about pregnancy complication.
What Am i supposed to do? please help, advise with answers.
Lots of women get fibroids during pregnancy. I ended up with four by the time my daughter was born. They grow during pregnancy too. I'd love to say don't stress about it, but I was so freaked out during my pregnancy because of them.
The risks are that you can go into labour early. That the positioning of the fibroids can cause problems with giving birth and/or having a c-section. And if they are already there, pre-pregnancy, then they can cause miscarriage if the baby hasn't latched on to anything but the fibroid.
My ob was extremely concerned by the positioning of my fibroids, as you can probably gather by the above posts. One was near the birth canal, so he was concerned that bub wouldn't get past to prepare for birth. It was a large fibroid. Another one was in the exact spot where the cut would have to be made for a c-section. So for me that meant that if my baby didn't get into the birth canal, I'd have to have a vertical incision caesar. Removing the fibroids while pregnant is incredibly dangerous - because they can grow so much, blood loss can be fatal, so that was a definite no-no. By the time I was 35 weeks pregnant, you could see a lump bulging out of me above my belly button - I thought it was a baby's knee or elbow, but was told later that it was a fibroid. By memory the biggest was about 4cms according to the scans.
I had extra ultrasounds to check the positioning of the fibroids and to measure their size. You may not need this - they might be in completely irrelevant positions for birth.
And the good news after all the angst and worry was that I delivered my baby four days before her due date, ala natural. She got past the fibroids no problems. So even after everything, it all went perfectly. She was 3.5kg.
After birth, the fibroids shrink again and you can get them removed if you wish to, or if they cause problems. Sometimes the problems they cause are bad cramping, heavy/irregular periods, etc. I haven't had them removed but plan to look into it soon. I don't want to have them for another pregnancy. I lost my first baby and we think it may have been because it latched onto a fibroid instead of the uterine wall.
I hope all of this helps. It is a scary time with these rotten things, but as the u/s technician said, its nothing to worry about.
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